Armageddon MassiveArtist: The DingeesLabel: BEC RecordingsVariety is supposed to be the name of the game here, The Dingees
claiming to be a collaboration of punk, ska, and reggae. I
hear the first two styles on this advance six-song promo (full album coming
March 24), but no reggae. I'm getting a strong Rancid vibe (but more
friendly) from the four punk tracks--that bouncy, mid-tempo, rough-n-tumble,
fun-to-sing-along punk style with ska overtones and occasional gang vocals.
The other two tracks are slow ska tunes, with choruses that will stick
in your head despite the mellow nature of the songs. The horns are
laidback and unobtrusive (thankfully) in the ears of this horn-wary reviewer.
In keeping with BEC's mainstream drive, The Dingees don't sing about anything
overtly spiritual, dealing instead with traditional punk social topics,
as evidenced by song titles like "Rebel Youth," "Workingman's Blues," and
"Another Burning City." It would be nice to hear the full album,
but this promo promises an interesting debut. The Dingees have put
out some catchy songs despite the lack of originality in their punk
sound (but let's face it...there are only so many ways to play punk!).
(This review was based on a six-song promo)